Desmoplastic Infantile Ganglioglioma - Childhood Tumor: Overview

ON THIS PAGE: You will find some basic information about this disease and the parts of the body it may affect. This is the first page of Cancer.Net’s Guide to Desmoplastic Infantile Ganglioglioma (DIG). To see other pages, use the menu on the side of your screen. Think of that menu as a roadmap to this full guide.

Desmoplastic infantile ganglioglioma, or DIG, is a rare type of brain tumor that can occur during childhood. A tumor begins when healthy cells change and grow uncontrollably, forming a mass. A tumor can be cancerous or benign. A cancerous tumor is malignant, meaning it can grow and spread to other parts of the body. A benign tumor means the tumor can grow but will not spread.

DIG is a type of glioma, a tumor that starts in the glial cells, which are supportive cells in the brain. It usually occurs on one side of the brain, can be very large, and is more common for children younger than one year old. DIG is made up of more than one type of cell and also contains cysts. It is thought that DIG begins even before a baby is born.

DIG was originally classified as a low-grade, slow-growing tumor that is usually noncancerous. However, in some instances, the tumor grows more quickly and is more likely to spread to other parts of the brain or body; this is called a high-grade tumor (see Stages and Grades).

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